Drew Leclair Gets a Clue

Starred review from January 1, 2022

Gr 5 Up-Drew Leclair is a seventh grade misfit whose mom has just run off with her school counselor. Drew is mortified and she is doing her best to lay low about it, until it is plastered all over an anonymous Instagram account for her school. This particular account goes for the students' most sensitive secrets. Drew, along with her two best friends, sets out to expose the anonymous poster. While she is making crime boards and profiling her classmates, Drew is also dealing with her parents' split and questions about her own sexuality. Drew is not sure why she doesn't seem to be developing feelings for anyone her age, least of all her best friend who keeps trying to kiss her. Could something be wrong with her? Bury deftly handles this topic, as well as cyber safety and privacy, with a sprinkling of other resonant issues like fat-shaming, consent, and acceptance of differences of all kinds, with a light touch that does not veer into didacticism. VERDICT The perfect story for a kid who wants a little more than just a mystery about a school cyberbully. Readers who are ready to progress from Nancy Drew (who the main character was named after) but are not quite ready for One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus will enjoy this book.-Kim Gardner

Copyright 2022 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 15, 2022
Can a lonely sleuth learn the identity of the middle school cyberbully? Drew is a White seventh grader who loves mysteries, true crime, and criminal profiling. And a good thing, too--someone is targeting their class on Instagram, revealing secrets and being supermean. The anonymous bully reveals that Drew's mom was seen making out with the guidance counselor. Drew (whose mother has not only kissed Mr. Clark, but has run off with him to Kauai to live in a yurt) is crushed but doesn't want her abandoned, hurting, single dad to know about the bullying and is determined to handle this problem herself. In order to profile the criminal, Drew needs to talk to all the bully's other victims, but she's awkward with people even when she's not falling to pieces. Luckily, her only friend, Indian American Shrey, has her back. Even better, another of the cyberbully's victims--Trissa, a Black girl who's as much of a Star Wars nerd as Shrey and Drew--wants to help. (Although Shrey and Trissa do think her crime board, complete with tacked down lines of red yarn, is just a teensy bit on the weird side.) There's an unexpected level of well-handled emotional realism in this appealing, thought-provoking work: Drew's family struggles aren't tidily wrapped up, nor are the issues with the school's bullying and pervasive racism or even the romantic complications. Witty kid detectives solve a mystery with believably high stakes. (Mystery. 9-12)

COPYRIGHT(2022) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Starred review from March 15, 2022
Grades 5-8 *Starred Review* Seventh-grader Drew is a true-crime buff who idolizes Lita Miyamoto, a criminal profiler and author. Hoping to follow in her hero's footsteps, Drew spends time observing and profiling her fellow classmates. But when her mom runs off--seemingly for good, this time--with the school guidance counselor, Drew wonders how she could've missed all the signs. Despite attempting to keep this news a secret, even from her boy best friend (who tried to kiss her the week before), Drew's hope is dashed when a cyberbully spills the news through her school's social media. Drew decides her main priority is to protect her father, which means stopping the anonymous bully before things escalate. Though frustrating at times, Drew remains relatable as she navigates the painful and confusing events of her life--her mother's abandonment, her father's sadness, and questions of identity and friendship--all while wondering if anyone would love her for who she truly is. This book touches on issues of bullying, racism, sexuality, fat-shaming, consent, and more, but it never feels heavy-handed. Because Drew profiles everyone around her, each character's race is clearly stated in Drew's notes, so while Drew is white, her world feels inclusive. Highly recommended for fans of Nancy Drew (Drew's namesake) and those who appreciate the blending of realistic problems and mystery.

COPYRIGHT(2022) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.